Tackle ABS-CBN franchise bills, House authors urge Cayetano

The plenary hall of the House of Representatives. (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — A week since the shutdown of media giant ABS-CBN, several authors of bills seeking the renewal of the network’s franchise are pressing House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to finally tackle them.

In a letter addressed to Cayetano on Tuesday, the authors called on Cayetano to “facilitate the immediate convening of the Committee on Legislative Franchise” to tackle the ABS-CBN franchise bills still pending before them.

“It is in this spirit that we write and appeal to your good office, Mr. Speaker, to facilitate the immediate convening of the Committee on Legislative Franchise so that it can tackle with dispatch the pending renewal bills for consideration,” the 14 lawmakers who signed the letter said.

“We understand that there are important measures that the House Leadership has to attend to in this extraordinary time. However, we believe, too, that resolving the ABS-CBN issue the soonest is equally important given the impact, economically and politically, of its continued shutdown in this time of crisis,” they added.

Several bills seeking ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal are still pending before the House committee on legislative franchises. In the 18th Congress, the first ABS-CBN franchise bill was filed as early as July 2019.

The franchise of ABS-CBN has expired on May 4, and one day after its franchise expired, the network was ordered by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to stop operating its television and radio broadcasting stations nationwide “absent a valid Congressional Franchise required by law.”

“While we also take string exceptions to NTC’s trickery and the Office of the Solicitor General’s interventionist action, we firmly believe that the House now has the primary duty and responsibility to put an end to the uncertainties and confusion brought by the pendency of the application of renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise,” the lawmakers said.

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Those who signed the petition are Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto, Deputy Speaker Johnny Pimentel, Deputy Speaker Rose Marie Arenas, Deputy Minority Leader Carlos Isagani Zarate, Laguna 3rd District Rep. Sol Aragones, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro.

Other lawmakers who signed the letter are Cagayan De Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Nueva Ecija 2nd District Rep. Micaela Violago, Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite, Bayan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat, Parañaque 2nd District Rep. Joy Myra Tambunting, and Kabataan Rep. Sarah Jane Elago.

So far, the committee on legislative franchises has only held one hearing to discuss the matter. During this meeting held in March, no one from ABS-CBN or from the opposition was invited.

Instead, the lawmakers decided to first draft the ground rules for the formal deliberations of the franchise renewal bid of ABS-CBN, which Cayetano earlier deemed to be necessary so that the hearings would not be a “circus.”

JPV